What was your "AHA" moment??

KEAVES13

What's the one thing that made you decide.."okay, that's it..I'm going to lose this weight, no matter what!" I seem to have trouble just making the commitment and going for it. I'll do really good for 2 or 3 weeks and then, just like that, I get completely off course again. I really do want to lose the weight, but I feel like there is some part of me that is holding me back. Maybe hearing how you made the decision will help something to click with me... Thanks in advance for the help! )

sportzmom23

I did it for me. Sounds mundane, trite, typical, but I did it because I push/encourage my kids to try anything, to be the best they can be. One day I sat looking at them, and said what a hypocrite I am! I am great at encouraging them, why not show them? Show them I want to be the healthiest I can be. Show my two daughters a mom who loves herself, no matter what. Show my son that even tho it's easier to sit on the couch with a bag of chips after a disappointment, it's better to go back out and try again.

I am not a perfect mom, but my kids see me being healthier, see me setting goals, and accomplishing them, which motivates me even more to be the best me.

ChangingAmanda

The straw that broke the camels back (so to speak) was a comment that I didn't know what meaning was behind it. I have to get down on all 4 every day to clear out the drop safe that sits on the floor. One of my co-workers asked me one day what I was going to do when I can't get down there anymore. The three things that ran through my mind were that she thought I was pregnant because of the shirt I was wearing and I carry a lot of my weight in my stomach, she thought I was too fat to get down there, she knew about my bad knees. I just played it off and answered it would be a very long time before I couldn't empty the safe. Starting that day I started researching meal replacement shakes, MFP, and other things and started a couple weeks later. I think hitting the 3 month mark of being on an anti-depressant was also a big key to my success this time around as well.

Sarahmeridith

I did not pass a class and was feeling like a failure. I have to eait until the fall before the class is reoffered and just felt I needed to succeed at something, so I am dedicating myself to this. i feel like I have been successful at much lately and I am hoping if I can do this that I will be able to succeed in some of the other parts of my life as well.

majope

For me, it was money and shame. My husband's insurance instituted a program where they hauled everyone in, weighed us, took blood samples and ran tests, and told us if we hit particular goals our insurance payments would go down the next year. I had to go in for the testing stuff in January, and at Christmas I'd hit 200 pounds. I was mortified that I'd gotten that heavy, and especially that I would be held accountable for it--and, I was worried about what the blood work would show.

So I started losing weight. I figured there wasn't a lot I could do about my beginning numbers, but I sure could show some improvement by the time the next visit rolled around in a year.

I managed to lose about 8 pounds before the initial visit, and over 30 pounds in the next six months...and they canceled the insurance program. People were too upset about it. I keep thinking about how it motivated me, and wonder how many people might have lost weight if they'd kept it going. And whether everyone's insurance would have gone down.

This time, I just want to get down another 15-20 pounds to see if it makes me a faster runner, to look better, and get out of the "overweight" category at last (currently at 25.1 BMI and "normal" starts at 25). I don't have trouble sticking to it because I've been successful before, so I KNOW I can do it again. I just have to eat at a deficit, stay active, and be patient!

Linli_Anne

This time around something mentally just happened.

I wanted to be healthier, and my diet was already 90% of the way there but I needed activity too. I made the commitment to do the 30 Day Shred, some days it was hard but I always told myself, give it 5 minutes and then you can stop if you want to. I never did.

I have learned so much about myself during these small changes that I'm incorporating, I have found so much more energy and most importantly I have disconnected food from emotion which is a biggie for me. I still eat all the things I used to, but now I understand how it all affects the bigger picture; weight, energy, sleep, mood, complexion.

KEAVES13

Thanks to all of you..these are all different but all very helpful..I know I just have to make the decision and be willing to put in the hard work and know that I will have to tell myself "no" sometimes. I definately want to be a better example for my 2 girls...